Platybelodon facts for kids
Quick facts for kids PlatybelodonTemporal range: Miocene
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†Platybelodon
Borissiak, 1928
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Platybelodon was an amazing ancient animal, a type of Gomphothere. These were large plant-eating creatures, now extinct, but they were related to the elephants we see today. People often call them shovel tuskers because of their unique lower tusks. Platybelodon lived a long time ago during the Miocene epoch, which was about 15 to 4 million years ago. You could find them in many places around the world, including Africa, Europe, Asia, and North America.
How Platybelodon Lived
Scientists first thought that Platybelodon spent its time in wet, swampy areas of grassy savannas. They believed it used its special teeth to scoop up plants that grew in water or near water. This idea came from looking at the shape of its lower jaw and tusks, which looked like a shovel.
However, new studies looked closely at the wear patterns on Platybelodon's teeth. These patterns showed something different! It seems Platybelodon actually used its lower tusks to strip bark from trees. Imagine it like this: they might have used the sharp edges of their "shovel" tusks like a modern-day scythe. They could grab branches with their trunk and rub them against their lower teeth to cut them from a tree. This suggests they were more like tree-feeders than swamp-dwellers.
Images for kids
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Platybelodon grangeri reconstruction with size comparison.
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Life reconstruction of Platybelodon grangeri.
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Outdated restoration of P. grangeri as a swamp-dweller.
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P. grangeri skull.
See also
In Spanish: Platybelodon para niños
